In 1947, no one knew if it was possible to break the "sound barrier." The Bell X-1 was the tiny, rocket-powered craft that finally broke it. It was the result of innovative designers and engineers turning their attention from the pioneering jets of World War II to a new task--an aircraft designed purely to fly faster than sound. Legendary pilots rallied to the cause, with World War II ace Chuck Yeager piloting the X-1 when it finally achieved supersonic flight in 1947, the first manned craft to reach such speeds. With historical photographs and meticulously researched digital art, Peter...
In 1947, no one knew if it was possible to break the "sound barrier." The Bell X-1 was the tiny, rocket-powered craft that finally broke it. It was th...
By the time the Americans began their aerial bombardment of Japan in 1944, both the JAAF and IJNAF were spent forces. What the Japanese did have though was the Ki-44 "Tojo." Armed with two 40 mm cannon, it was the most heavily armed and feared single-seat fighter to see action against the new American bomber, the B-29 Superfortress. For the bomber crews, they had what they believed was their "ace in hole": a fully armed B-29 carried four remotely operated gun turrets and a tail gunner's position, making it the world's most advanced self-defending bomber.
In every respect the Ki-44...
By the time the Americans began their aerial bombardment of Japan in 1944, both the JAAF and IJNAF were spent forces. What the Japanese did have th...
